Do you have a pool or spa at your home? Visit one often? Have you thought about the safety of the drains within the pool? Personally, it was not something I thought much about until learning more from The ZAC Foundation. The ZAC Foundation wants to ensure that children and their parents know how to be safer around water through education and advocacy programs.
The ZAC Foundation
The ZAC Foundation is named for Zachary Archer Cohn, who died in 2007 at the age of 6, after his arm became trapped by the suction of a pool drain. Zachary’s memory lives on through the Foundation’s mission to prepare children and their families for a lifetime of water safety. The ZAC Foundation was created to set pioneering standards in the field of water safety and their goal is to save children’s lives through three areas: grassroots outreach, ZAC Camps, and school curriculum.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of the Foundation is to ensure that children and their parents know how to be safer around water. The ABC&D’s of water safety provide excellent reminders when working to keep everyone safe:
- ADULT: Never let children be alone near or in a pool, ocean, lake, or river. Children should be taught to never swim without an adult present.
- BARRIER: Have a four-sided fence that goes around your pool with a self-locking gate.
- CLASSES: Kids and adults should take safety classes like swim lessons and CPR.
- DRAINS: ALL swimmers should stay away from all pool and spa drains to avoid becoming trapped by the suction for best drain safety practices.
The ZAC Foundation wants to ensure that children and their parents know how to be safer around water through education and advocacy programs. The ZAC Foundation provides a wealth of water safety tips, resources and programming (ZAC Camps) for parents and children of all ages (birth to teenagers). The Foundation targets children ages 5-9 with most of their safety programming.
Written by The ZAC Foundation co-founders Karen and Brian Cohn, The Polar Bear Who Couldn’t, Wouldn’t Swim, follows the journey of a young polar bear named Zeke who is afraid of the water and refuses to swim. He leaves his home in search of other animals who do not swim, and ends up finding that he can enjoy the water if he follows the ABC and D’s of water safety, while learning a valuable lesson about facing his fears with a positive attitude. The book is an excellent way to open the conversation about water safety with children and to reiterate the importance of the ABC&D’s of water safety.
How do you teach your kids about summer fun water safety?
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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